Sunday Spotlight: Myron Rolle

In this week's Sunday Spotlight, we acknowledge Dr. Myron Rolle, former NFL safety and current neurosurgical resident at ​Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital

By Blake Bogin

Myron L. Rolle, a Bahamanian-American neurosurgical resident, is used to standing out. At the age of three, he and his family moved from the Bahamas to New Jersey, where Rolle attended The Hun School of Princeton on scholarship to play football and advance his academic focus. He received many accolades, including upwards of 80 Division I football offers. He eventually decided on Florida State University, where he received his BA in Exercise Science in just two years. He then went on to  study at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, where he received a Master’s Degree in Medical Anthropology. Initially, Rolle was unsure about accepting the scholarship, as it meant dropping out of the NFL draft, but he was able to connect with a professor who convinced him to take the scholarship and put his professional football dreams on hold. 

After his return from Oxford, Rolle was selected by theTennessee Titans in the sixth round of the NFL draft. He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers after a year on their practice squad. Though Rolle never saw the field during a game, he maintains that his experience as a professional athlete gave him skills and perspective that have been invaluable in his medical career. Indeed, his drive and determination led him to great success as a medical student at the Florida State University College of Medicine, and later as a neurosurgical resident at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

​Rolle briefly shifted his efforts to working on the COVID-19 frontlines last April. Dr. Rolle was a third-year neurosurgical resident at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital when he made the decidedly “easy” transition to working 24-hour shifts battling COVID-19 in Boston. Presently, Rolle has returned to working as a neurosurgical resident but continues to speak openly regarding his experiences. Without a doubt, we will be hearing much more about Dr. Rolle as he progresses through his neurosurgical career.